5D's: The Emperor Dragons
by Navarre for GOAT tier
Summary: Yusei runs a card shop in the Satellite 4 years after the Arc-Cradle. When Akiza comes back to visit him, the two of them are dragged into a series of duels that reunites Team 5Ds... under horrid circumstances. The Signer Dragons meet the Emperor Dragons to fend off a Dark World Rebellion. Contains: A lot of dueling. A few faithshipping moments. A bit of OOC.
1. First Coming

_Yusei raced on, attempting to match the sheer speed of the rider ahead of him. The rider ahead said no words to Yusei as he outmaneuvered him at ever turn. He knew that as long as he had a single life point left, he could turn the duel around. Now, his duel revolved around one card. _

_Yusei: 400 Rider: 2500_

_However, Yusei was unsure if he could turn the duel around. For the first time in his life, neither player had a single card on the field or a card in his hand. Neither player had anything of use removed from play or in the Graveyard. One play. One play to win it all. _

_"I draw!"_

_Yusei pulled the top card from his deck. To his surprise, he pulled Junk Synchron. _

_"Perfect! For my first move, I summon Junk Synchron! I think we both know what Junk Synchron can do. I bring back level two Speed Warrior from my graveyard. Next, I Synchro Summon my Junk Warrior!"_

_The Rider smiled. "Good move Yusei. But I'm afraid this duel must come to an end. You've proven enough for me."_

_Yusei fell. His body descended into darkness. _

**New Domino City: 4 Years after Z-One**

**Author's Note: I actually play the YGOTCG… So expect somewhat accurate dueling.**

**This is a somewhat idealized future. Akiza changed her mind and decided to study 4 more years at college (in New Domino) to help her decide between becoming a doctor and becoming a pro duelist. The rest of the career paths are pretty close.**

Yusei awoke to blinding light. He checked the time again. For the second morning in a row, he had awoken at 11:11 perfectly. Then, he remembered that his card shop opened in about 19 minutes. Racing towards the sink, Yusei grabbed his Junk deck and his Duel Disk. After simultaneously brushing his teeth, showering, and shaving, Yusei placed his Junk Deck into his Duel Disk and grabbed his jacket. He flew down the stairs and mounted his runner.

_God, it's so bright outside. _He winced as the sunlight met his eyes, inflicting a savage, burning pain. He had noted the increase in both temperature and sunlight, but the weather reporters had said that it was perfectly normal for the Earth to go through these cycles. New Domino happened to be the affected target. His mind began to drift away from the city and onto dueling. His Junk Deck needed a boost desperately, and there were a couple helpful cards that Industrial Illusions had released to support his Junk Deck. A new Synchron monster was rumored to be in the next pack, though with Industrial Illusion's unpredictable nature it was impossible to confirm rumors. Luckily, Yusei only had to drive a block to his store, and he was expecting an order of a box set of the packs.

When Yusei arrived, he locked his runner outside, spit out a sequence of indistinguishable duelist terms, and unlocked the doors. Even he had to admit that it was lonely without Jack or Crow. He was disappointed that their career paths had lead them so far from New Domino City. The pro-leagues all lead to New Domino, so it was inevitable that Jack and Crow, rival dueling legends, would sooner or later return to New Domino.

Yusei smiled at himself. At least Leo and Luna visited the city ever few months. They were studying abroad in many other dueling cities, including the great Neo-Galaxy City itself. The fact that they made an effort to stay in touch kept him out of the daily grind: eat, sleep, sell, and repeat.

_Perhaps the Old Team was meant to be kept in a few fragments._

Yusei smiled as he pulled the new Synchron from his first pack. "Dragon's Synchron" was the name of the powerful warrior.

_Perfect! A level 5 Dragon that I can summon from my hand!_

**Dragon's Synchron is a level 5 Dragon-Type, Light Attribute monster with the following effect. **

**_While this card is in your hand, you can reveal one Dragon-Type Synchro monster from your extra deck to Special Summon this monster in face-up defense position. Once per turn, you can treat this card as a Tuner-Monster. You can only control one Dragon's Synchron. When this card leaves the field, Draw one card and send two cards from your Hand to the Graveyard. This card cannot declare an attack if there is no other Dragon-Type monster on your side of the Field._**

**2400 ATK/1900 DEF**

_I can't wait to run this in a test! _Yusei thought as he slipped the card into his deck. He decided that he would take out Assault Mode Activate and Stardust Dragon/Assault mode in order to place in Dragon's Synchron into his deck and Quickdraw Synchron back into his deck. He placed the cards in a separate compartment in his Duel Disk; the resting place for the variants of Stardust Dragon that had served him so well in the past few years; Shooting Quasar Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon, Dragon-Knight Draco-Equiste, and… What was this new card in here? It didn't belong to him, and it didn't look like it belonged to him.

**Finale Nova Dragon is a Level 12 Synchro Monster, Dark Attribute, Dragon-Type Monster with the following effect**

**_2 Tuner Monsters + 1 Tuner Synchro Monster + 1 Red Dragon Archfiend_**

**_When this card declares an attack, destroy all cards (except this card) on your side of the field. Then, your opponent sends all the cards in his/her hand to the Graveyard. Your opponent cannot activate effects in response to this card's effect. When you end your Battle Phase, destroy all Spell/Trap cards your opponent controls. This card is unaffected by your opponent's card effects. When this card leaves the field, you can Special Summon either "Red Dragon Archfiend" or "Red Nova Dragon" from your Extra Deck to your field._**

**_4200 ATK / 3000 DEF_**

_Wait. What? When did Jack have a monster this strong? And why is it here? _Yusei wondered as he placed the card back into his compartment. _Something is telling me he needs this card. Or he'll need it soon. _He sorted through the booster-packs for cards that someone might want. "It's a good thing I get these for free", he said as he opened the yet another case.

"Find anything sir?" a kid walked into his store. "I'm here to find a Tuner Monster. To go with my Super Robot Man Synchro Card."

"Tuners are Aisle Three. I'll be there to help you with cards in a moment." Yusei replied, barely looking up.

"Where are the new Gishki Monsters again?" Another kid walked in. "I found three Aquamirrors under my pillow last night!"

"I keep them with me." Yusei replied, still not looking up. Finally looking up, he gave the kid a concerned look. "You know those are still very expensive. I think you should pick and choose which Gishki monsters to use. Make sure you grab a few Synchro Monsters and Tuners if you need to Synchro into something big like an Angel of Zera. I think that card is getting some considerable play."

"Thank you, Sir! Do you know where I can find Angel of Zera?"

"It's almost out of print. Look in that section of the store. Aisle Four is where you'll find the booster packs that might have Angel of Zera still in it."

"Thanks again!"

"No problem kid." Yusei continued to sort through the monsters. A new Synchro Monster was released a while ago as well. "Strike Dragon" was its name, and its effect was very similar to Stardust Dragon's effect, only it could only negate Spell/Trap card destruction effects. Scrap Dragon was reprinted. Speed-Spell "Monster Reborn" got reprinted. Elemental Heroes and Gem Knights got yet another boost as Super-Polymerization hit the shelves yet again.

"Tough job you've got there."

Yusei didn't look up to respond. "Yup. I make a decent bit of money though. This seems to be the type of job my old friend Crow would have liked more. At least I get the sufficient funds to keep upgrading my runner to compete with the new up-and-comers on the road."

"It looks lonely."

Yusei barely moved his head. "Some of my friends visit me every once in a while."

"I hope you at least recognize them better than you did me."

Yusei finally looked up. Stared for a moment, and then his mouth dropped. "Ak…Akiza! I'm so sorry! I was-"

"No, no it's fine, really, I'm-"

"How did you even find me?" Yusei got up from behind the counter and met her in a tight embrace.

"You know, rumors go around." Akiza replied. "It wasn't too hard to follow rumors that a washed-up duel king was running a card shop in the Satellite."

"Hey! I am NOT a washed up duel king! I'm still very capable of dueling."

"Sure about that? I bet you haven't dueled since we all split!"

Yusei laughed at her comment. "I have. It hasn't really been the same though. I've had to tag duel with people I barely know because getting back from here at night is a bit dangerous."

Akiza nodded. "I can see that. Hey- um… If it's not a hastle tonight…"

Yusei raised his eyebrow.

"Do you want to go get dinner with me? College is actually more lonely than I thought, you know… because my dorm-mate is usually somewhere other than our dorm."

Yusei nodded. "Just name a time. Do you still have my number?"

"Actually, we can go right now. It's 6:30."

"I'll close early today then."

Just then, a kid ran into his shop screaming. "Help! There's a three big scary guys out there! They're running for some guy in a black suit!"

Yusei nodded at each of the kid's words. "Are those the guys?"

The kid started crying. "I want my mommy!"

Yusei locked up his shop. "Shh… Calm down bud. I think we can…"

A man in a black suit stopped at Yusei's store.

"Yusei, Akiza? I recognize you guys! Don't worry, no time to explain. We're going to need to triple duel. Again, no time to explain. My name is Lex. These guys… want one of my cards and won't stop unless I duel them all at once."

Yusei looked confused. "But if they want only you, why do you think they'll accept a triple duel?"

Lex sighed. "Just put up something rare for ante. We're going to win this duel."

Akiza now had questions of her own. "How do we even run a triple duel? Is that even possible?"

Yusei smiled. "I've actually done it once, but it was a three on one type of thing."

"Good, good, now let's go! They're right here!" Lex placed his deck into his disk and turned to meet his adversaries.


	2. Starform Dragon Descends!

**Author's Note: IMMEDIATE CHAPTER TWO! Time for the Short Duel! **

**Yusei: Yeah! We're going to win right?**

**Akiza: Just don't overextend your first turn.**

**Lex: Nah, overextend. I got your back bro.**

**Akiza: Well, Navarre for GOAT Tier doesn't own any Japanese things. If he did, he would make Navarre the most broken Fire Emblem character of all time, and Majestic Star Dragon far easier to summon. **

"MY DRAW!" Three voices rang out in unison at the same time. Yusei looked at Akiza who pointed to Lex who shook his head.

"I'll actually go first." Lex drew one card from his Duel Disk, causing it to glow with a unnatural red color.

**Turn 1: **

**Team 5Ds and Lex: 12000**

**Team ?: 12000**

"To start out, I'll discard Reactan, Dragon Ruler of Pebbles and Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos to the Graveyard in order to summon Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders in Defense Position!" Lex called. "Take to the field wise ruler!"

A massive dragon rose from the earth curled in a ball. The behemoth broke free of its encirclement of boulders, causing a thin mist to spread across the field. It roared victoriously.

"Next, I lay three cards facedown and end my turn! Your move!"

_Amazing. A 3000 Defense Point defender on turn one! I'm surprised that I've never seen this one before. _Yusei thought. _The only problem is that that monster is level 7, which won't allow me to summon Stardust Dragon unless I draw a level 1 Tuner Monster. _

Yusei's hand contained one Debris Dragon, one Junk Warrior, Dragon's Synchron, Quickdraw Synchron, and Scrap Iron Scarecrow.

_I can work with this, though all I have is Tuners. _

"My turn then." The first thug stepped out. "I summon Beligus, Warlord of Dark Demise in Attack Mode."

What appeared to be Summoned Skull's long lost cousin descended from the skies. However, it took off its helmet and revealed a very battle-scarred man.

_Beligus is a Level 4 Warrior Monster with 1400 ATK Points and 1200 DEF Points. _

"Now with Beligus on the field, I can summon Slave Dealer Mango from my hand to the field in attack position"

_Slave Dealer Mango is a Level 3 Warrior Type Monster with 1200 ATK Points and 1200 DEF Points._

"When both of these monsters are on the field, I can summon Superior Slave Artist from my Deck by paying 1000 of my Life Points."

_Superior Slave Artist is a Level 1 Spellcaster Tuner Monster with 100 ATK Points and 1000 DEF Points._

12000|11000

"What do they say then? I'll give these monsters a tune-up. Come forth, Dark Ruler: Blackheart!"

_Wait a second. _Yusei thought.

A massive demon descended from the skies. At that very moment, the skies grew dark, and the mystery-duelists became encircled in a Dark Aura.

_Dark Ruler: Blackheart is a Level 8 Fiend Type Monster with 3000 ATK and 3000 DEF that cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects from monsters with a lower level than it. Once per turn, the player controlling Dark Ruler Blackheart can pay 1000 LP draw one card. Once per turn, the payer controlling Dark Ruler Blackheart can pay 1000LP to activate a normal trap card from his/her hand. _

"Yusei! I've seen this before! It happens all of the time! But we better make sure we win because it looks like we're playing with our lives at stake!" Lex yelled.

"I can't attack over that massive boulder with my Blackheart however." The first thug said. "However, I can at least make sure that you can't attack over me. I activate the effect of my Continuous Spell Card 'Barrier of the Ruler'. Now all monsters cannot attack Dark Ruler: Blackheart!"

_That's problematic. _Yusei thought.

"I activate the effect of my Trap Card 'Temporary Drainage'! I'm allowed to negate the effects of my Redox, Dragon Ruler of Boulders in exchange for paying an amount of Life-Points equal to its attack points!"

10400 | 11000

"Wait, why'd you do that?" Yusei asked, startled.

"His Dragon Ruler returns to his hand after his opponent's turn ends," Akiza noted. "He's buying us some time. You might end up with Redox in your hand next turn though."

"I see…"

"In other words, maybe he's waiting for you to give Redox a use."

"I don't think I can do much with this hand." Yusei stared at his hand glumly. "I draw!" _Defense Draw? _

"I set two cards face down and end my turn. Now-" (Set: Scrap Iron Scarecrow and Defense Draw)

"I activate the effect of Seal of the Mighty Ruler!" Lex interjected. "This card lets me return Redox to my hand. Then, I inflict damage equal to Redox's combined attack and defense points to both players! However, I must send my entire hand to the Graveyard."

Yusei pondered Lex's decision for a moment and decided that it wasn't a half-bad move.

"We're going to take significant damage next turn." Yusei commented.

"Don't worry, Akiza hasn't even played anything. I'm sure she can do something." Lex replied.

"I have something in mind I think." Akiza responded. "It's only going to buy us time though."

5800||6400

The Second Thug was silent. He drew one card, set three cards and one monster and then proclaimed that he was declaring an attack. "Dark Ruler! Unleash your rage upon them! Blazing Inferno!"

The Ruler nearly knocked the three of them off of their feet with the sheer force of their blast.

2800 || 5400

"Not looking too hot for us. That backrow will be tricky, as with that massive beast," Yusei commented.

"Yusei, why didn't you activate Scrap Iron Scarecrow?" Akiza asked.

"I couldn't," He shook his head. "The Dark Ruler card they have allows them to activate Normal Trap Cards from their hand at the cost of 1000 Life Points. They chose Trap Stun."

"Don't worry, we've faced more difficult opponents," Akiza insisted. "My draw!"

_I always told her to never give up._

"I activate the effect of the Spell Card 'Rose's Last Resort'. Now at the cost of discarding one card from my hand, I can send the necessary Synchro-Material monsters from my hand to the Graveyard. With that, I can summon Black Rose Dragon!"

Black Rose Dragon rose from the fissure in the ground. It roared triumphantly as it entered the field.

"I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect to destroy all cards on the field!"

"With that, I activate Last Resort of the Rulers!" Lex exclaimed. "Now, if we don't have any cards on the field next turn, I can add Dragon's Guardna from my deck to my hand."

"Good Move Lex!"

"Sorry, we have a trap card too! I activate Preservation of the Dark King! Our Dark Ruler cannot be destroyed, but we cannot declare an attack next turn." The Second Thug exclaimed. "I'm sorry, but your souls are ours!"

"Last Resort of the Rulers also lets one of my teammates discard one card from his or her hand to inflict damage equal to that card's attack to your Life Points!"

"And the card I choose," Yusei "Is Dragon's Synchron. So take 2400 Points of Damage!"

2800||3000

"Sadly we have to pay 1400 Life Points next turn, but no matter." Lex grinned. "Nice move, Akiza!"

"Thanks! We're still in this," she looked relieved as did Yusei.

"Yup! We'll pull through I'm sure!" Yusei responded.

"I'll add Dragon's Guardna to my hand now. Yusei, I hope you're right."

The Third Thug set his entire hand. "I end my turn."

1400||3000

"Choose your fate, Lex." A voice rang out on the battlefield. Lex's eyes narrowed with determination.

"I, Lex, heir to the great Emperor dragons proclaim my might! I draw!"

_Emperor-_

The winds kicked up as Lex reached for his top card. Lex's eyes widened.

_I hope this isn't a bluff. _Yusei thought.

He smiled. "I hope you have an answer. I banish Reactan and Blaster from my graveyard to make way for an old friend. Come out! Redox!"

Redox's rebirth was not as spectacular as its first coming. "Blaster's effect allows me to add a FIRE Dragon from my deck to my hand. I choose Parallel Fire Dragon! I won't be using that card though. Instead, I normal summon Dragon's Guardna in attack position!"

*Dragon's Guardna: If your opponent attacks you directly, Special Summon this card from your hand to the Field. End the Battle Phase and take 1000 LP of Damage. (2000 ATK 1000 DEF Tuner, Wind Type: Level 4)

"I tune these two great dragons together in order to Synchro Summon STARFORM DRAGON!"

A mighty red dragon descended from the stars, rearing its head back and roaring. An even higher whirlwind kicked up. As the dragon illuminated the dark field, Yusei realized that somehow this dragon was connected to the Signer Dragons. While it was in no way the Crimson Dragon, this dragon reminded Yusei of the powerful spirit that bonded the Signers.

**A Note: This card exists! Look it up: 3200 ATK, 2800 DEF, 11 Synchro Dragon Type, Light Attribute**

"I attack with my Starform Dragon! Go, Burning Emperor's Flare!"

"Why can't we activate traps boss?" The second thug cried to the first.

"Relax, we're not out of this yet. 200 points of damage is not that much to take," the first thug said trying to reassure his teammates.

"I send Honest to the Graveyard to have Star Eater gain Attack Points equal to that of Dark Ruler: Blackheart!" (6200 ATK vs 3000 ATK)

Yusei couldn't remember what happened after Starform Dragon attacked. However, when it attacked, the world returned to normal, and he was standing in the same place. Akiza was still beside him, but Lex was nowhere to be found.


	3. Recollection Day

**Author's Note:**

**I'll respond to reviews now! Thanks to the first review by some random Guest.**

**Lex: I'll explain why we chose Starform Dragon over Star Eater. You see, our Emperor Dragons (you'll meet the other Emperor dragon later) must have some connection to the Signer Dragons by name (ie Starform Dragon, Stardust Dragon, Black Rose Dragon, Black Feathered Dragon). Jack's dragon does break this beautiful parallelism, but regardless Starform Dragon sounds much better than Star Eater. I'm pretty sure my little Emperor doesn't eat stars very often right-**

****Starform Dragon munches on a star.********

**Lex: Okay, well… I stand corrected. Starform Dragon is also the original Japanese name. You know how Konami-North America is about naming. Seriously, I think Black Magician and Black Magician Girl would have been sick names.**

**Yusei: Konami messes up everything. Remember the September 2013 Format?**

**Lex: March 2013 was worse dude. At least I only run one of each Dragon Ruler.**

**Yusei: Okay, enough talk. Let's get back to the story… All Mr. Navarre for GOAT Tier owns is a Lightsworn Deck.**

**Lex: Lightsworns are broken. But not if you only run one Solar Recharge like he does.**

**Yusei: This I agree with. He should get another Solar Recharge. **

"Yusei... I know this seems like kind of a weird question considering recent events, but do you still want to go out for dinner?" Akiza asked. Yusei was still staring blankly at the spot where they had dueled the three thugs. He started to connect things now.

_The Rider in my Dream was most definitely Lex. _

_The other person in that Dream also had a large dragon. _

_Whatever it was… they're connected._

_They aren't from New Domino city are they?_

_What's a Dragon Ruler?_

_That duel was so short. How come I didn't at least throw something onto the field?_

_What… Happened?_

He snapped back to reality when Akiza slapped him. It was relatively gentle, especially considering Akiza could hit much harder, but it still stung afterward.

"Wha…?"

"I asked do you want to still go out for dinner?" Akiza looked just mildly annoyed. She understood that Yusei must have been thinking hard about the recent events, but she also wanted Yusei to understand that that Duel wasn't everything.

"Ah. Why don't we eat at my place? All of the nice restaurants are duel-to-enter, and I'm not in the mood for another." _Was that what it took to get my attention?_

"I'm fine with that. Do you still live in the same place?"

"Nope. It's kind of shabby at the moment, but it can't be worse than our old Garage," Yusei laughed. The memory brought a smile to Akiza's lips.

***AN: Sorry about the omnipotent third person. We'll return to a more limited 3****rd**** person.**

Yusei unlocked his runner. "I'd show you how much I've been working on this if I had another seat, but for now just hold onto my waist."

"You haven't given up on upgrading this thing have you?" Akiza mused. "For one, you need to work on the paint job. It's starting to get old."

"I always forget," Yusei said. "I need an artist to put the head of the Crimson Dragon on the dash first. Possibly a 5Ds logo. Then, I'll take a look into a new red paintjob."

"Hey… what's this?" Akiza pointed to a jumble of pictures. "Aren't these…?"

"Yup! All the photos from the 5Ds Days." Yusei said. "Do you remember summoning Stardust Dragon? I think there's a picture of you doing that."

"I can't believe you still have these."

"There are a lot of things I still have! Remember…"

The rest of the ride followed a very similar pattern of chatter. When Yusei arrived at home, he parked in his garage. "I got a grant to build this house a couple years ago." He commented, leading Akiza into his dining room.

"Wait, what about your place at Martha's?"

"Oh, that place? Some guy is renting it out right now." Yusei lit his stove. "We both needed more money: me for my business, and her for the kids. It ended up working out for both of us."

"Ah, I see. This place looks pretty nice. I never knew you could decorate so well…" Akiza turned to look at Yusei's wide array of old Duel Monsters and photographs he had collected over the years.

"You wouldn't expect less from me would you?" Yusei joined her. "Remember this? This is a picture of you summoning Stardust Dragon." Yusei pointed towards it and softly brushed the dust the edges.

"It was back from the days where we all had the same dream…" He whispered. Akiza put a hand on his shoulder.

"I should have seen it coming. Jack had the drive to compete in racing for the fame, glory, and money. I had the drive to compete for the good of others, the will of a force greater than myself," he continued. "Crow went after him because he had the same dream. I just didn't have anything left to prove…"

He turned. "They'll have to face me again one day. It won't be too pretty when they do. I hope they remember me as a friend, not just some ruthless competitor that they have to face."

Akiza nodded. They were close now, each with an arm around the other's shoulder. "You'll see them again one day."

"I sure hope so," Yusei's voice was shaking now. "But it looks like it won't be as a friend. If it is, then it will have to be as an ally against evil or… another opponent."

"You've grown pessimistic over the years haven't you?" Akiza started. "Can't you at least count on the fact that your old childhood friends respect you as a friend?"

"I never said that I didn't. I just wanted to make sure our past wasn't an afterthought. You know how those two are. Especially Jack. But we have to look on to a brighter future where we all achieve what we want, don't we?" Yusei smiled now.

"I suppose now you see the good things that come from the break-up."

"Yes. Maybe the fact that we've broken up means that there's no more danger to save the world from. What do you think?"

"I guess. Hey… so about that duel today," Akiza shifted nervously. "I actually have something that I found in my deck. Well, two things. They both pertain to you, and possibly something far worse."

"What card is this?"

"I didn't want to bring it up, but I think this is a sign of things to come. That's why I went so far as to search you out personally."

Yusei's eyebrows perked up. "After dinner, show me."

Akiza's eyes narrowed. "We both won't like the sound of this, I'm afraid."


	4. Luck and Light

**I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Am I going too slowly? I wrote the last chapter to give you guys a break from dueling. **

**Lex: Better introduce a new character this chapter.**

**Yusei: Why don't you write two duels? **

**Lex: Yeah, have me OTK Yusei. **

**Yusei: You can't OTK me with all of the traps I use. My traps can beat you any day.**

**Lex: Yeah right. I could take you any day.**

**Yusei: Try me, One-turn-kill boy. **

**Lex: I will. Just wait until-**

**NFGT: Okay, that's enough. Once again, I don't own 5Ds. But my Lightsworn Deck is getting better. In this chapter, I'll introduce Rexie, our Emperor Dragon heiress. **

**888989989987972917492719472917492719847298174921794**

**(Page Break)**

Yusei gaped at the cards she held in her hands. "This is…" Yusei held it. "I don't even know what to do with it…"

"Evolved Shooting Quasar Dragon… I don't even know if it's possible to Synchro Summon with two Signer Dragons and one Synchro Tuner," Akiza shifted nervously. "I also received this."

"Majestic Rose Dragon?" Yusei questioned it for a second. "I didn't think you would need variant ever."

"I must confess that I've used it once. I dueled thugs that looked really similar to the thugs we dueled today." Akiza paused for a second. "It took all of my effort to keep Black Rose Dragon around until I drew the Majestic Dragon. Yusei, these guys are tough. They aren't mere pawns, they're _good_ pawns."

_Wait… that would explain why my Mark has glowed once already. _

"I see how powerful they are. But their high powered fiends have a weakness and we _will _find it."

"Yusei, we also have to get stronger. The duelist that we met today was very powerful, and we probably won't find many allies like him."

"… He was different." Yusei's eyes looked towards the ground. "He was certainly a very aggressive player, much more than we are used to in New Domino."

"I guess he isn't from around these parts… Yusei, what's that noise?" Akiza looked outside.

"It's dark outside, so the kids come out. Sometimes, they visit me." Yusei strapped on his Duel Disk.

"The kids are 5'10'' around here?" Akiza reached for her duel disk. "Those aren't just kids out there."

"Thugs, right? Alright, let's gear up." Yusei reached out to take Evolved Shooting Quasar Dragon.

-90================

Rexie's hands shook. It was incredibly cold, and this was the eighth thug of the night. The Thug had one single monster out on the Field, a Synchro Monster know as "Blood Emperor". It was a Level Six Fiend Type monster with 2500 ATK points and 2000 DEF Points. It could Tribute itself to negate the effect of one monster Level Seven or lower.

Rexie 1100 || Thug 3000

No use. Rexie had to make a move before she lost everything she had to the Thug.

"Given up yet? Your Emperor Dragon will soon be mine and the world will be one step closer to its impending doom." The Thug had taunted her because of the horrible luck she had earlier in the duel.

"You're insane. I have this match in the bag." She reached for the top of her deck. "And I can do it without my Emperor Dragon! Now let's have Justice weigh your soul shall we?"

She drew. She had two cards in her hand now. Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner and Solar Recharge.

"Just need a little luck, right?" She mused. "I guess Lady Luck doesn't like having such a beautiful goddess to compete with. I activate Solar Recharge! This allows me to discard one Lightsworn Monster and draw two cards! Then, I must mill two cards to the graveyard."

_Let's hope she isn't too offended. _

She closed her eyes and drew. "I suppose we all have lessons to learn. Especially you, wasting all of you traps on me so early on." She pulled the top two cards of her deck and smiled with satisfaction. "With that, I mill the top two cards of my deck." She sent Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress and Jain, Lightsworn Paladin to the graveyard.

"Next, I activate the effect of the card Temporary Drainage! Now, neither player can activate the effect of monsters, traps, or spells from the hand or the Graveyard. However, I must banish the top three cards of my deck to activate this effect. But that won't matter, will it?"

"No, you can't do that!" The Thug's eyes widened as he proceeded to shout.

"Don't worry, I have this all figured out. From my hand, I special summon the mighty defender of the Rhelm of Light. Behold, as a beast as old as the stars themselves reveals itself in true perfection."

"No!" The Thug shouted.

"I'm afraid Judgment Dragon doesn't like you too much either! Behold, Judgment Dragon!"

The night sky lit up for a while as Judgment Dragon proudly descended from the stars. A radiant beast covered in smooth, gray feathers, Judgment Dragon was perhaps one of the most beautiful dragons to have been created. When it roared, Rexie felt that victory was with her. Luck had changed her mind apparently.

"And with that, my Dragon will activate his effect! By paying 1000 Life Points… I can destroy all other cards on the field! Judgment Dragon, use Divine Authority!"

A marvelous light materialized and wiped the field clean of the Fiend that once held onto it.

"You ready for the best part? That's right! My Battle Phase will be great! Judgment Dragon, attack with Lightbound Storm!"

With that, Judgment Dragon reared its head and summoned a storm so blinding that the Thug completely disappeared. Rexie continued onwards, into the cold.

_Dammit Lex. Where the hell are you?_

_=======9130319========_

"This might be a good time for a Synchro Summon, don't you think?" Akiza and Yusei were handling the two thugs quite nicely, partially because Yusei's traps had set up massive advantage for them.

"I tune Witch of the Black Rose (4) with Tuningware (1 or 2) and Level Eater (1) to Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon!"

Black Rose Dragon ripped out of a fissure in the ground. "And with that," Yusei began, "I'll activate a Quick Play Spell. I activate 'Advantage!', a spell that allows me to Special Summon a Level One monster from my graveyard when your field is larger than ours!"

"Three traps are greater than One Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza drew a card due to Tuningware's effect.

"I'll bring out Tuningware again! So come on out!" A spoon-like machine popped out. "Next I'll summon the card I just drew." Akiza's sign glowed as did Yusei's. However, the thugs turned and fled the duel before it was over.

"Huh, that's strange," Yusei's mark was still glowing when he said that. "Our duel disks still have us registered."

"A shame really. I picked up this card with Tuningware," she summoned the Majestic Dragon anyway.

"Might as well tune it and activate its effect," Yusei suggested.

"Actually, we're registered as the winners now. But how come-"

An explosion cut through the air as she said that. Without thinking, Akiza swept her cards back into her deck and reached for Majestic Rose Dragon to break the impact. Thankfully, Majestic Rose Dragon absorbed the explosion's impact.

She and Yusei both gaped at the sight in the sky.

A massive light filled the city. It was similar to the light that Lex had conjured when he summoned Starform Dragon. Just then, a girl stumbled out of the alley.

She was about 16 years old, clear blue eyes and equally blue hair. She looked like she was clearly a kid from outside of the Satellite, but she did not resemble most normal New Domino residents. However, even Akiza had to admit that she was stunning. Akiza finally recognized her after she remembered why she was here.

"I had a dream about this moment." Akiza said. "Remember Lex? I think this is someone who is important to him."

"Maybe we've met the Hieress of the Emperors. We better go talk to her."

"If she has the energy for that," Akiza said. "In my dreams, she didn't even respond."

=======9380839========

"So what's your name again?" Rexie found herself asking the man right next to her. "Yusei? I've heard of you… and Akiza, is it?"

"Yup that's us." Yusei responded. "Let me guess, you're looking for someone named Lex."

Rexie nodded. "He's very important to me, and to the rest of us."

"Who are the rest of you?" Akiza asked, "I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Rexie rolled her eyes at how obvious the answer was. "You two. Jack, Crow, Luna, Leo… are those their names? Anyway, we have just a bit of time before… well, don't call me a lunatic… but before the Dark World Masters come for all of us."

"Dark Worlds? Hey, aren't those a Duel Monster archetype?" Yusei asked. "I played against some kid with those cards."

"Well I can say this. Grapha isn't even the strongest of them. There's one that Industrial Illusions made that will change everything."

"Wait wait," Akiza said. "Why should we even worry over another Duel Monster Archetype?"

"Haven't you heard the tales?" Rexie shot back. "Those cards have some sort of curse attached to them. They're part of an archetype that should have been locked away ages ago."

"Listen, I know how strong the deck is. But-"

"You've never picked up a Duel History textbook then? I guess I'll have to tell the story."

"Humor me."

"Alright. Well, there are Six Rhelms of Dueling. The Dark World, the Burning Kingdom, the Wind Highrise, the Chaos Rhelm, the Earthchild Domain, and the Water Abyss..."

**Leave your reviews! Make them nice, point out flaws, whatever. Just don't troll and be like "Man fuk u nurd". Next up, Rexie finishes up the myth of Dueling and Jack's deck gets revamped. **


	5. Chaos and Dark Worlds

**This will be a shortened update because it's just Rexie telling a little story. Once again, I don't own anything.**

There are Six Rhelms of Dueling. The Dark World, the Burning Kingdom, the Wind Highrise, the Chaos Rhelm, the Earthchild Domain, and the Water Abyss…

The Ruler of the Dark World was at one point Grapha. Grapha was well liked among the people because he brought glory to the Dark World because of his capabilities in war and his honorable treatment of prisoners of war. When he was defending the Dark World, it was said that his powers rivaled that of the great Blue Eyes White Dragon itself.

One day, however, a mysterious force known as the "Limit-Over Chaos" corrupted Grapha. His two great Warlords Silva and Goldd ousted him and a Puppet King from the Earthchild Domain was put in his place temporarily. Silva and Goldd began to train a new king. Much to their dismay, nobody wanted to see Grapha go, partially because the Dark World had functioned well with him in power. They had three choices; keep a corrupt warlord, train a new ruler, or leave the Dark World. Silva and Goldd fled the Dark World because of the threats from its people. Thus, the Archfiend Kingdom volunteered to take over the Dark World.

Unknown to the Dark World, they brought with them a fiend known as Beelze. Beelze was a dragon king corrupted by "Limit-Over Chaos", and he became very powerful due to it. Beelze took control over the Dark World, a world now infested with fiends united under one great Dragon.

"And that's where we stand today," Rexie said.

"So a dragon's takeover is making this much of a difference?" Akiza asked. "Why is it seeping over into our world? It's highly improbable."

"Beelze has some worshippers; like the Nordic Gods you faced, this dude is more than just a card. It's been a while since they've been able to gain influence, but some high priest acquired a Beelze Card. Industrial Illusions accidently released it, and it is formally in the System. They might be making clones right now."

"How strong can the card possibly be?"

"Strong enough that we need something more than a couple powerful Dragon Cards to stop it." Rexie pulled her knees closer to her chest. She paused. "I think I'll share the more hopeful side."

The Domain of Light willingly gave itself into the cause of the Chaos Rhelm because it feared the Dark World's growing power. Even the all-powerful Judgment Dragon couldn't stop the power of Beelze. The Chaos Rhelm has been missing its lead three leaders. The three judges of the Chaos World: Chaos Emperor Dragon, Black Luster Soldier, and Chaos Sorcerer.

"Isn't Black Luster So-"

"Envoy to the Beginning? Yup. Dueling cards. No one even has a copy left of it. I've been searching for one forever."

"What about-"

"Chaos Sorcerer was easy." Rexie revealed two Chaos Sorceror cards. "These are apparently among the last of them left."

"But-"

"And then there's Chaos Emperor Dragon. I think this is the sole reason why all the thugs have been coming after me this night."

"Wait. You have a rare card that nobody's been able to find for decades?"

"My great-grandparents apparently had one of the first iterations. I found it when cleaning out an old box of mine."

"Really? You expect me to-"

"Do you really want to see it?" Rexie reached for her Duel Disk.

"No, it's fine. I believe you." Akiza's voice toned down.

"I'll continue then."

So far, the Chaos Rhelm has been able to unite its elite to fight The Dark World but the Elemental Domains are holding them back. The League of Fire Fists, the Lavals, and the Fire Kings have been debating with Blaster, Dragon Ruler of Infernos on whether they should go to war or not. The Mermails and Atlanteans have been furiously at conflict with the Ice Barriers in their Rhelm, so there's no chance that they'll send much support. The Wind Rhelm just lost a war against the Dark World, so they're afraid, even with their new Mecha Phantom Beast assistance. The Earthchild Domain is still at war with the Domain of Light and the Dark World under some odd treaty, so there's no chance that they would support either side.

Rexie finally stopped. "I hope Lex has the other Chaos Ruler by now. One-on-one, they can defeat Beelze, but I'm not sure how we would stand in a Duel."

Akiza was silent, as was Yusei.

"We outlined a plan to defeat Beelze, but it requires the help of you guys. That's why Lex should have recognized you guys. Because he's been following you guys closely for a while." Rexie continued.

There was a moment of quiet in the room.

"Hold on. Another war? Shouldn't we get some input on this?" Yusei asked.

"I guess you will. Anyway, we're pretty much going to follow the paths left by the fleeing thugs with the Chaos Rulers in hand to see if we can take on Beelze."

Yusei frowned. "Your plan. It's not really well thought out is it?"

Rexie turned to face him. "Not my problem. Anyway, it's the best idea _we_ have. Do you have better idea?

Her voice quieted.

"Lex has probably found a Black Luster Soldier – Envoy to the Beginning card by now."

Akiza sat. "I thought Yugi Muto was the only one to ever possess that card."

"He was. Yugi plays charity matches occasionally now, but ever since Synchros came loose, he's been trying to distance himself from the public eye. We think he has only one of the copies of that card. Once the card was banned in tournament play, a lot of people threw theirs out."

"Hmm…"

"Akiza," Yusei interjected. "You and Rexie should probably stay the night. We can talk tomorrow morning. I'll keep watch to make sure nothing happens more tonight."

And with that, Akiza and Rexie prepared for the night.

Yusei observed that the neighborhood had been quieted. He sat by the window and closed his eyes.

The next morning, he awoke in the same position. It was 5:00 AM, and a street duel had broken out on the street.

Yusei readied his Duel Disk and prepared for the worst. Somehow, he had a feeling that this street duel had significant implications.

**I wrote this one rather hastily. Tell me if the plot is developing well. Next up: Jack incorporates Dark Armed Dragon into his deck, and Crow duels a Thug! Review please!**


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